There are occasions when a person, while in bed, wishes to sit up to watch television, read, work, etc. Everyone has probably attempted to do this at one time or another and has found it quite difficult to remain in this reclining-seated position very long. In an attempt to make this reclining-seated position more comfortable, there have been developed tiltable or adjustable headboards for beds. If these are permanently affixed to the bed or to the wall behind the bed, it is generally desirable that the headboard be designed so as to be retracted flat when not in use, thereby permitting the use of the full area of the bed for sleeping.
There have been designed a number of different headboards which designs have attempted to provide a satisfactory reclining headboard that can be swung out of the way when not in use. One of the basic problems with such headboards is to provide a means for securing the headboard in a selected inclined position. The solution of this problem is not as simple as might appear since the lower edge of the headboard becomes further away from the surface of the bed as the headboard is swung outwardly. To permit the lower edge of the headboard to at all times rest on the bed as it is swung outwardly to a selected inclined position, various means have been suggested by the prior art. One such means is to provide a movable upper pivot which allows the entire headboard to move downwardly as the outer edge is swung outwardly. Obviously, this requires a somewhat complex mechanism. An example of this type of headboard is shown in Levy U.S. Pat. No. 3,217,341. Another suggested solution for this problem is to have a member pivotally mounted at the lower end of the headboard which can be swung outwardly to provide a "longer" headboard when it is in the inclined position. Such a headboard is shown in Trivas et al U.S. Pat. No. 2,724,127. However, this design permits only one selected inclined position, and because of the relatively high force exerted on the headboard when it is in its inclined position, this design may tend to wear out or break with repeated usage. Other designs suggested by the prior art involve variations of the foregoing two basic designs or provide a structure by which the upper portion of the bed itself can be pivoted upwardly to an inclined position. This particular design becomes very complex and expensive since the mattress on the bed must also be allowed to bend. A common example of this type of inclined bed is found in hospitals.
The prior art does not disclose a simple tiltable headboard for beds which allows the headboard to be positioned in any selected position but which will be sturdy and long-lasting. Also, many of the prior art designs do not include a headrest and may include a mechanism that interferes with upholstering or other aesthetic covering on the headboard. Usually, such mechanism interferes with the storage space behind the headboard when it is in an inclined position. It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a headboard which overcomes the disadvantages of prior art designs as outlined above.